John Higgins won a first ranking title in his native Scotland when he held off a spirited fightback by Ryan Day to take the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Glasgow last night. The 9-7 victory was his fourth in this event, equalling the record held by his compatriot Stephen Hendry.

Higgins, twice a world champion and a former world No1, had seemed on course for an easy win at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre when he led 7-2 at one stage but Day rallied strongly to take the next four frames. They traded the next two frames before the Scot clinched the title in the penultimate frame.

Afterwards Higgins praised Day's tenacity: "He's definitely the player of the tournament and I was so lucky to be 7-2 in front. I was just scrambling to get over the line. I was feeding off Ryan's misses. I was waiting for the decider, so I'm so glad I won."

Day said: "I'm disappointed with the result but dug in and gave it my best. John deserved it on the day. I could've have been a bit jaded after a late finish last night but that's no excuse."

The Welshman had looked out-of-sorts at the start and only with the final almost beyond recall did he start showing the kind of form that brought that had seenhim make three centuries in his semi-final 6-5 victory over Ali Carter on Saturday.

There were no centuries tonight, but home favourite Higgins knocked in seven 50 breaks to Day's six. The Scot took a nervy 24-minute opener in which his opponent missed the yellow with the rest after laying two superb snookers to get himself back into contention. Day's malaise continued when he missed two easy reds in the next frame, Higgins punishing him with an 85 clearance.

A moment of misfortune in frame three worked out for the Welshman when he made a break of 64 after going in off and seeing his opponent miss the resulting long red. A 57 break helped Higgins seal a 3-1 interval lead when Day missed another long pot.

Looking for his 19th title in what was his 31st ranking final, the Scot maintained his greater fluency after the restart with another half-century. He broke down but Day continued to flounder, allowing his opponent to open up a three-frame cushion. He got away with an horrendous misjudgement in frame six, underhitting an attempted snooker behind the brown.

Higgins failed to punish the error and Day knocked in a much-needed 82 clearance to blue. He had a chance to go into the evening session only a frame behind but he broke down on 21 and Higgins clinched a 5-2 lead.

Day lost the next two frames in succession and he suffered more outrageous misfortune in the 10th when he cannoned the pink in off a fine plant before Higgins fluked another snooker behind the yellow. But the Scot failed to get over the line and Day pinched it on the black to trail 7-4 at the break. The Welshman re-emerged with a swagger, pouncing on an early Higgins error with a frame-winning 89.

The comeback looked to have stalled in the 12th but Higgins opened the door again and Day held his nerve to win it on the pink and close to within a frame.

An increasingly edgy Higgins almost threw away the next with a careless in off but Day let him off the hook. Knowing his next mistake could be his last, Day then compiled a nerveless 83.

A magnificent deadweight long red set up a 53 break for Higgins in frame 16 and he won some tense exchanges to finally get over the line.